A Taste of Ramona Valley
Local Wineries Celebrate California Wine Month

Members of the San Diego County Vintners Association at Bernardo Winery for annual vintners dinner. Photo by Angelo Abril, Salerno Winery

In celebration of California Wine Month, local growers along with the Julian Chamber of Commerce will host events that will give both visitors and locals a chance to sample some of the area's locally produced wine.

The Julian Chamber of Commerce will host the 10th annual Julian Grape Stomp on Sept. 2 at Menghini Winery according to Jennifer Jenkin, co-owner of Pamo Valley Vineyards and Winery with her husband Bill. "Last year was our first time participating in this event," says Jenkin. "It was all about the wine and people having fun and learning all they could about every aspect of wine."

"And," adds Jenkin, "the Ramona Chamber of Commerce is hosting its first ever two-day Oktoberfest on Sept. 30-Oct. 1 at 1450 Main St. in Ramona. We will be participating in the wine tasting portion with other local wineries. The event will give the wholesale wineries in town some exposure by providing the public a chance to taste and purchase their wines. We are really excited about this opportunity as most of the wineries in Ramona are wholesale and do not have tasting rooms at this time.

The vineyards and wineries are coming into their busy time of year. With the weather being exceeding hot this year it seems everyone will be getting a jump-start on harvest. Normally people don't pick until mid-end Sept. This year it's looking like end Aug/early Sept."

The two events celebrate Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proclamation marking September as "California Wine Month." This is the second year the governor has honored the state's wine industry with a special proclamation.

Effective January 6, 2006, the Ramona Valley in San Diego County was officially designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) by the Federal Taxation and Trade Bureau. "This is a major step for the rapidly growing wine producing area around Ramona," according to Bill Schweitzer, Organizer of the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA), a "grape roots" organization of local growers, from their website (www.ramonavalleyvineyards.org). The Ramona Valley consists of an 89,000-acre area covering 139 square miles around Ramona, and the AVA designation means that the FTTB recognizes that grapes grown in the area are distinct from other grapes grown in the region because of a unique combination of climate, geography and soil within the Ramona Valley.

"Ramona is a hot spot with lots of small growers banding together and working as a cooperative," says Alex McGeary, President of the San Diego County Vintners Association (SDCVA) and a vintner for more than 34 years. "There are currently 23 bonded wineries in San Diego County," he adds. "Eleven are limited wholesale operations, and the rest have outlets and tasting rooms." Alex and Pam McGeary are owners of Shadow Mountain Vineyards in Warner Springs.

For further information about upcoming local events, contact Alex McGeary, President of the San Diego County Vintners Association at (800) 592-0015 or visit www.sandiegowineries.org to join in the celebration.